


Heathers

by Calluna_vulgarish



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Botany, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Plants, Romance, Tea
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:41:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24798622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calluna_vulgarish/pseuds/Calluna_vulgarish
Summary: As a young girl, you almost get yourself trampled on just to hand Lance Corporal Levi flowers. You left your grandmother's tea shop in your hometown to join the Survey Corps where you cross paths once again with the Lance Corporal. Apart from tea, what else will brew between the two of you?A revamp of a fanfic I wrote of the same name back in 2013 on DeviantArt.(This takes place around season 1)
Relationships: Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) & Reader, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Reader, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/You, Levi/Reader
Comments: 10
Kudos: 34





	1. Chamaemelum nobile

Tray in hand, you give a soft knock on the Corporal’s door.

“Who is it?”  
  
“It’s FIRST NAME, Sir. Squad Leader Hanji sent me.”  
  
It was quiet from the other side for a few seconds. You then heard footsteps and soon the door opens. You are greeted by Corporal Levi Rivaille’s face just inches away from yours. He looks you up and down before asking, “What’s your business here?”

Unsure how to explain yourself, you raise the wooden tray in your hands and stutter, “I-I’ve come to serve you some tea, Corporal. Squad Leader Hanji told me to come make you some.”

“Why would she send someone to make me tea?”

“S-she said you’ve had a long day, Sir."

His lips pursed, “Everyday is a long day if you’re around her.”

You let out a nervous laugh, “Y-yes, Sir.”

He lets out a sigh before moving away from the door, letting you enter. He points to his desk and you walk towards it. You hear the door shut as you place the tray down on his office desk.

He makes his way behind his desk and takes a seat.

“I don’t see why Hanji had to send you over just to make me some tea.”  
  
Your nervousness now replaced with pride, you begin to explain “I used to work in a tea shop, Sir. Back in my hometown.”

He watches as you take a pouch with chamomile tea and measure it with a spoon. “My grandmother has a tea shop in our hometown and I used to help her make tea. My older brother would send over tea leaves for me to drink back when I was in training. I shared them with my squadmates and Squad Leader Hanji and now I have the pleasure of making tea for them.”

“I see. Come sit down, no need to act like a royal maid”

You follow his command and take a seat on one of the chairs in front of his desk.

You take the small hourglass on the tray and turn it over.

“You look familiar.” said Levi

“I’m one of the new recruits under Squad Leader Hanji, Sir.”  
  
“I know, but I mean, I think I’ve seen you before, at least around a few years back. Your face seems familiar to me.”  
  
You gulp, unsure if you want to divulge your little secret.  
  
You scratch the back of your head and start, “Well, Sir, I’m not quite sure if you’d remember but-“

Unsure how to go about your explanation, you begin,

“Back when I was a child, the Scouting Legion went on an expedition and left through the gate-.”  
  
You were interrupted by Levi. “You’re that little girl.”

Your eyes widen in surprise. You’re not sure the Corporal remembers but he goes on to say, “You’re the one that handed me Heather flowers and almost got trampled on.”

Your embarrassment now turned to awe, “I. . . I can’t believe you’d remember that incident!”  
  
Levi gave a small laugh. “How could I forget? no child is usually dumb enough to risk getting stepped on by horses just to hand someone flowers.”  
  
You laugh, “I _was_ pretty stupid, huh?”  
  
“You were. I’m honestly surprised you’re still alive, let alone in the Survey Corps.”  
  
“Well, I guess I’m stupid AND suicidal!” you say

You laugh and Levi smirks at you. “I see why you’re part of Hanji’s squad.”

“To be honest, as weird as she is, I can’t help but be in awe of her, Sir.”  
  
“Well, I’m personally just weirded out by her. Not to mention she’s so fucking messy, it’s atrocious.”  
  
You let out a laugh, “Not on my watch! Ever since joining her squad, I’ve been tasked with keeping her office clean. It’s been rough but I’ve managed to organize all her notes!”  
  
“Not bad, kid.”

The last grain of sand makes its way to the bottom of the small hourglass.

“Oh!” You take the teapot and begin to pour its contents into the cup.

You place the teacup gingerly in front of the corporal. “Here you go, Sir”

He lifts the cup to his mouth and blows on it for a bit, before taking a sip.

“Hm. That’s pretty good.”

“Thank you, Sir! It’s a special blend I whip up to help me relax.”  
  
“Well, I’ve got a meeting tomorrow, which means I’ll be seeing your weirdo squad leader again, so leave the pot with me for tonight. You may go.”  
  
You nod in understanding “Yes, Sir.”  
  
You get up from the chair and begin, “I’ll leave you to your tea, Corporal. Have a good night.”

You get up from your seat and head to the door. As you’re about to leave, Levi asks,

“Oi, what’s your name, cadet?”  
  
“NAME, Sir. NAME LAST NAME.”

“Ah. Thanks for the tea.”

“It’s my pleasure, Sir!”

“And for the flowers last time.” you hear him say as you shut the door behind you. You head back to your quarters and call it a night.


	2. Calluna vulgaris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your first encounter with Lance Corporal Levi all those years ago.

There he was, just a few feet away from you, Humanity’s Greatest Soldier. You watched as he and the other soldiers sat atop their horses, waiting for the gate to open and for their expedition to begin.

Eyebrows furrowed and biting your lip, you wonder how you were going to reach the Corporal despite the crowd lining the streets.

Summoning all the courage your small form could contain, you decide to push through the sea of people. A push here and a shove there and next thing you know you’re standing right next to Lance Corporal Levi Rivaille’s horse.

You look up at him in awe and you’re left speechless. Levi notices you looking up at him, holding flowers in your tiny hand and decides to unsaddle from his horse and crouch to your level.

“You lost, kid?”

You shake your head vehemently. Trembling, you presented the flowers to Levi.

“T-these. . . are . . . Heathers” you begin, “T-they symbolize protection, Sir. I-“

You were interrupted by the sound of the gate beginning to open.

You extend your arm so that the flowers are closer to him and he opens his hand to take it from you. He gives you a rushed pat on the head and gets back on his horse.

“You have to get going, kid. You’re going to get trampled on.” Levi said to you

You nodded, and made your way back into the crowd. You watch as the scouting legion set out for another dangerous mission. You say a silent prayer hoping for their safe and speedy return.

“Protection, huh?” Levi said to himself, placing the flowers in his jacket breast pocket.

– - - - - - - - - -

Later that day, you heard the bell signaling the opening of the gate and the return of the Recon Corps.

You ran to stand at the front of the crowd. Much to your joy, plenty of the soldiers returned.

You saw Lance Corporal Levi slowly trailing the path, you let out a shout, “Lance Corporal! Lance Corporal!”

Levi’s eyes darted to your small form and he guided his horse to where you were standing. He discharged from his horse and crouched down to meet you eye to eye once again.

Smirking, he gave your head a pat once again

“Thanks a lot, kid. Your flowers did me good.”

With wide eyes and a beaming smile you respond, “r-really?”

He messed with your hair a little and nodded.

“I’m so happy you made it back, Lance Corporal!”

“I couldn’t do it without you, kid.” he says jokingly

“Someday, I want to go on expeditions just like you, Sir”

“Well then I’ll see you in a few years then, huh?”

You ball your right hand into a fist and place it on your chest, and your left hand behind your back, you proudly exclaim “Yes, Lance Corporal!”

He lets out a small laugh. He gets back on his horse and says “All right, Cadet. I’ll be seeing you.”

“Sir, yes, Sir!”

You watch as he rides off, your flowers still in his breast pocket.

“Cadet NAME . . .” you whisper to yourself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! If you've made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read my work! Please feel free to comment what you think of it or anything else for that matter :) interacting with y'all is just enjoyable for me <3
> 
> If you're one of those lovely people that came from DeviantArt, do say hi! I'd really like to know what you think after all these years 😭I'm still really sorry that it took me so long but I'm here now so I hope that's what counts.
> 
> Thanks again for reading and have a good day!


	3. Rosa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You were once again given the assignment of serving the Lance Corporal tea. This time, you were told to bring two cups instead of one.

A few nights after your encounter with Levi, Hanji calls you to her office.

“ _Cadet [Name], I’ve got an important task for you._ ”

“ _What is it, Squad Leader?_ ”

You worry what this could might be. Shoulders tensing, you wait for Hanji to continue.

“ _Levi wants you to make him tea again._ ”

You let out a sigh of relief and your shoulders relax once more. _Thank God that was it_. You nod at your superior.

“ _Yes, Squad Leader Hanji!_ ”

“ _Oh, you’re so cute! He says to bring two tea cups. I think he might have Erwin over._ ”

You nod again, “ _Yes, ma’am!_ ”

You head back to your room in the castle to search your tea stash. You try to think of what tea to serve Levi and Erwin. Digging through your box of treasures, you narrow down your choices down to oolong, rose, and lavender tea. Ultimately, you opt to take the rose tea due to its elegance, perfect for tea with guests, and its low caffeine levels, meaning you won’t keep Lance Corporal Levi and Erwin awake ’til dawn.

You smile to yourself as you grab the tea pouch and a slightly bigger hourglass than last time and head to the castle’s kitchen. In the kitchen, you grab what you need: wooden tray, teapot with freshly boiled water, teaspoon, and two teacups as requested. You make your way to the Lance Corporal's office once more.

One hand balancing the tray, on your raised leg, you give a knock on his office door.

“ _Lance Corporal! It’s [Name]!_ ” you say cheerfully from behind the door, before returning both hands on the tray

Levi opens the door and invites you inside. You make his way to the front of his desk and place the tray down. You turn around and smile at the Lance Corporal and ask, “ _Will Commander Erwin be late, Sir?_ "

“ _Erwin?_ ”

You nod.

“ _Did Hanji tell you that Erwin would be coming?_ ”

You blink. She didn’t _explicitly say_ that Commander Erwin would be coming.

“ _S-she told me to bring two cups, Sir._ ”

From the door, Levi walked closer towards you.

“ _The second one is for you. If you’d be willing to join me, that is._ ”

You couldn’t help but merely blink at his response.

He continues to look straight at you and you can feel heat rising to your face.

“ _I-I. . ._ ”

Levi walks away to seat himself behind his desk.

“ _You’re free to join me if you wish, if not, then that’s fine too. You seem speechless so just take a seat if you want to stay._ ”

Gulping, you find yourself seated once more across the Lance Corporal. You definitely weren’t expecting to be the guest.

Levi senses your confusion and nervousness. He lifts the lid of the tea pot and extends his hand out to you. You look down at it then up at his face again.

“ _The tea, kid. Hand it over._ ”

“ _O-oh right!_ ”

You feel for the tea pouch and hourglass in your breast pocket. You take it out and hand both to Levi. Just about as Levi was going to take the teaspoon from the tray, the realization hit you.

_Lance Corporal Levi is making you tea. Oh no wait that shouldn’t be the case._

In a panic, you exclaim, “ _Wait, Lance Corporal!_ ”

Levi stops dead in his tracks. He places the lid back onto the tea pot. If he was surprised, the only indication is his furrowed eyebrows.

“ _What is it?_ ”

“ _L-let me handle it for you, Lance Corporal!_ ”

“ _Tch. Alright, but if you’re insinuating that I don’t know how to make tea, you’re wrong, kid._ ” he says, handing the tea pouch back to you.

“ _I-I wasn’t implying anything, Sir! I just . . .I-_ ”

At a loss for words, you let out a sigh.

“ _I just couldn’t let you make tea for me. Let me do it instead!_ ”

“ _It’s not just for you, dumbass. It’s for the both of us. But if you insist._ ”

You let out a relieved smile, “ _Thank you, Sir._ ”

Your nervousness begins to die down as you find yourself in your element - tea making. You give a shy nod at the Lance Corporal as you lift the lid of the teapot. You open the pouch of rose tea and scoop out two teaspoons and place it into the pot. You take the hourglass and turn it over.

“ _It’ll be ready in five minutes, Sir_.” You beam.

“ _Alright. What tea is it?_ "

“ _Rose tea, Sir. It’s great for when you have company!_ ”

“ _Ah. I see. So you really thought I’d be having Erwin over, huh?_ "

“ _A-It was. . .implied? that the Commander would be here._ ”

“ _Ah, I see. So . . .last time. . .you mentioned you worked in your grandmother's tea shop?_ ”

“ _Indeed, Sir._ ”

“ _Hm. Did you enjoy your time working there?_ ”

Placing your hands on your chest, you exclaim, “ _I absolutely adored it there, Lance Corporal!_ ”

He smirked in acknowledgement. “ _If you did, why did you leave?_ ”

_Why did I leave?_

“ _Well. . .let’s see . . .my grandmother passed away and-_ "

“ _I’m sorry to hear that._ ”

“ _Y-yes, thank you, Sir. I . . uh . . . ever since I was young, I’ve always been interested in plants, flowers specially._ ”

You pause.

“ _I-. . .I know it sounds stupid but I wanted more than my life in the village. I loved the tea shop, I love my family, but I want to know what's out there. Just the thought of all the plants, the flowers, yet to be discovered speaks so strongly to me!_ "

“ _Ah, so you’re a weirdo like Hanji. . . but for plants. Is that why you joined the Survey Corps?_ ”

You let out a laugh, “ _Yes, Sir._ ”

Levi smirked.

“ _I particularly have a soft spot for floriography, Sir!_ ” you exclaim excitedly

“ _Floriography?_ ”

The last drop of sand reached the bottom of the hourglass. You pick up the teapot and pour tea into Levi’s teacup then yours. Gently, you place the teapot back down onto the tray.

With both hands, you take the teacup and hand it to Levi.

“ _Yes, sir!_ ”

“ _Care to explain?_ ”

“ _Floriography is the language of flowers. It is a way of communicating through the use or arrangement of flowers!_ ”

“ _The fuck is what?_ ”

You laughed. “ _I think an example would help_.”

Levi brings the tea to his lips and blows on it before taking a sip.

“ _Alright. Go on._ "

“ _Well, back when I was younger, there was a boy in our village that I fancied. Me being me, I was too shy to tell him directly. I tried to think of ways to tell him but I was too scared of rejection that I decided I wanted to tell him my feelings in a more subtle way - a red tulip. A red tulip symbolizes true love, Sir._ ”

Levi looked on at you as you told your story.

“ _Whenever I went out, I would bring a red tulip with me just in case I would bump into him. I would give it to him each time I saw him._ ”

“ _So, what happened between the two of you? A happily ever after?_ ”

“ _Oh, far from it, Lance Corporal_ ” you say, laughing, “H _e recently married a girl form the village. So, he’s off the market now._ ”

“ _Well, what about you?_ ”

“ _Not only am I still on the market, I am also on sale!_ ” you joke

“ _. . . that is both sad and hilarious._ ”

You both laugh.

These nights became routine - tea with Levi. The Lance Corporal would borrow you from Hanji, particularly after stressful days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello :) I hope, you dear reader, as well as your family and friends are doing well! This is the 3rd out of ??? of this fic. I'm trying to see how far I can go with this as I'm still mapping the story out. This was only intended to be three parts originally but I think I can make it a bit longer (would that be ok with you guys?)
> 
> thank you for taking the time to read!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Thank you for taking the time to read this! To those who read this years ago back on DeviantArt, hello! how are you? I'm sorry it took me seven years to pick this up again. A lot of stuff happened, I graduated high school and now I'm in medical school lol. Some things may have changed but my love for Levi Heichou defiinitely hasn't!
> 
> Please look forward to more chapters as I've planned to make this a multichapter fic! :) Thank you once again and have a good day!
> 
> Shameless plug btw but if you're into Obey Me!, I've been writing fics about them and I also have a tumblr specifically for it @ darkroom-wildlife.tumblr.com   
> Come say hi! 💙


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